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Estimated Reading Time: 6minutes
Are you struggling to set your Week 17 fantasy lineups? Maybe I can help… Below you can find my top fire (boom) and ice (bust) players at each position for Week 17. I also include my sleeper of the week at each position in case you are in a deeper league or in need of a replacement for an ice player.
Don’t miss my Fire and Ice chart at the bottom of this page. There, I have listed out all of my fire, good, sleeper and ice plays for Week 17 of the 2025 fantasy football season.
Quarterbacks
Fire QB Start of the Week: Trevor Lawrence (at IND)
Trevor Lawrence has been on fire, scoring over 30 points in back-to-back weeks with eight passing touchdowns over that span. Since Week 12, Lawrence leads the NFL with 15 passing touchdowns and his hot streak should continue in Week 17 at Indianapolis. The Colts have allowed the second-most passing yards in the NFL this season, behind only the Dallas Cowboys. Brock Purdy just beat up on the Colts’ secondary, throwing five touchdowns against them in Week 16.
Sleeper QB of the Week: Tyler Shough (at TEN)
The New Orleans Saints have started to look like a competitive team over the last month, and Tyler Shough’s performance has been a big reason for that. Shough has hit at least 17 fantasy points in four straight games and had a career-high 308 passing yards last weekend against the New York Jets. He will face the Tennessee Titans in Week 17, who have allowed the seventh most points to the quarterback position in 2025.
Ice QB Start of the Week: Justin Herbert (vs. HOU)
After a month of terrible fantasy performances by Justin Herbert, he finally put up a big performance against the weak Dallas Cowboys defense in Week 16. However, you shouldn’t count on him to have another big game this weekend. The Houston Texans have allowed just 12 fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks this season, second-fewest in the NFL. The Texans have allowed just one quarterback to hit 20 points against them – Jacoby Brissett, who needed 40 passing attempts to hit 20.6 fantasy points. Herbert has not even had 30 pass attempts in any of his last five games.
Running Backs
Fire RB Start of the Week: Saquon Barkley (at BUF)
The Buffalo Bills‘ run defense has bled fantasy points to running backs all season long. They have allowed the third most rushing yards per game, the second most yards per carry and the most rushing touchdowns in the NFL in 2025. On the other hand, Saquon Barkley has caught fire during the fantasy playoffs, averaging 21 carries per game, while putting up 120-plus rushing yards in two of the last three weeks.
Sleeper RB of the Week: Blake Corum (at ATL)
It has been four straight weeks that Blake Corum has scored at least 13 fantasy points, scoring a touchdown in each of those games. Last week, in a tough matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, Corum had a career-high 14 carries. If he gets that workload again, he should have a big game against the Atlanta Falcons, who have been beatable on the ground for most of this season. The Falcons have allowed the ninth most fantasy points on average to the running back position since Week 5.
Ice RB Start of the Week: Breece Hall (vs. NE)
Breece Hall has not hit nine fantasy points in any of the last three weeks. His efficiency on the ground has been atrocious over the last month, averaging just 3.0 yards per carry since Week 16. On top of that, he sees very little work in the receiving game with Brady Cook under center. Hall has recorded just four receptions for 23 yards through the air in the last three games played with Cook.
Wide Receivers
Fire WR Start of the Week: Chris Olave (at TEN)
The New Orleans Saints are entering Week 17 on a three-game win streak, and a big part of that has been the production of Chris Olave, who quietly sits as the overall WR6 on the year. Olave has thrived with Tyler Shough at quarterback in particular, averaging 61.9 receiving yards per game over Shough’s seven starts this season. Dating back to Week 8, the Tennessee Titans rank seventh in the league, giving up 161.8 receiving yards per game to opposing receivers and one of just seven teams to have allowed double-digit receiving touchdowns to the position in that span.
Sleeper WR Start of the Week: Wan’Dale Robinson (vs. LV)
Wan’Dale Robinson is coming off one of his worst performances of the season, totaling just three catches for 19 yards in Week 16’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings. However, his steady volume and a favorable matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders make him an intriguing option for those in full-PPR scoring leagues in need of a flex play. Robinson has had five-plus receptions in three of the last four weeks, including two games of 50-plus receiving yards and a score.
Ice WR Starts of the Week: DeVonta Smith (at BUF)
The Eagles’ passing game has continued to go through its ups and downs this season, which has given fantasy managers a bit of a roller coaster to navigate. This week’s matchup against the Buffalo Bills won’t help matters. The Bills have allowed the sixth-fewest receiving yards per game to opposing WRs this year and allowed the eighth-fewest fantasy points per game. Smith has scored just once over the past six games while exceeding 50 receiving yards just once in that span.
Tight Ends
Fire TE Start of the Week: Kyle Pitts (vs. LAR)
The only tight end who has more receiving yards than Kyle Pitts (854) this season is Trey McBride (1,098). Since Week 12, when Kirk Cousins stepped into the starting role, Pitts leads all tight ends in fantasy production, averaging 19.8 fantasy points per game. Pitts has carried fantasy managers through their fantasy playoffs, and he should continue to shine this weekend in what should be a high-scoring affair against the Los Angeles Rams.
Sleeper TE of the Week: Colston Loveland (at SF)
Since Week 10, the San Francisco 49ers have allowed the second-most fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends (18.5), including the third-most receiving yards per game (72). Rome Odunze was already ruled out for Week 17, which should continue to put Loveland in line for more receiving work. Loveland has had five-plus receiving targets in each of the last five games.
Ice TE Start of the Week: Dalton Kincaid (vs. PHI)
Not only do fantasy managers have to worry about Dawson Knox sniping away goal-line targets from Dalton Kincaid this week, but they also have to worry about a challenging matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles to significantly lower his ceiling (and floor) in championship week. The Eagles have allowed the second-fewest fantasy points to opposing tight ends this season, with a league-low 30.7 receiving yards per game to the position and just three total receiving touchdowns to TEs.